BAIDOA – Somali Media Women Association (SOWWA) has conducted a three-day training on promoting media women visibility through capacity building supported by United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia – UNSOM has been held on Saturday 14 January 2023 in Baidoa, the capital city of Southwest state of Federal Somalia government.
The training which was focused on media skills and empowerment of women was attended by thirty female and male journalists from different media outlets in Bay region in Southwest Somalia.
Minister of information of Southwest state, Abdifitah Ali Yusuf who was honored to be at the opening of the training, has welcomed the activity as a milestone to speed up the empowering and educating the women in the media.
Mr. Yusuf has pledged that female journalists in his office will be given managerial opportunities and will closely work with SOMWA to improve the capacity of women journalists.
Speaking to the participants of the workshop, Maryan Seylac founder/Executive director of SOMWA emphasized the importance to have women journalists who can confidently report on women’s issues and also become leaders in the newsrooms to guide toward a gender-responsive news agenda and also, to create awareness among the male colleagues to be part of the change.
She briefly talked about the activities of SOMWA since it was established nearly two decades and the challenges that it had gone through during the war in the country.
“This three-day workshop has a core value for the attendees which I am sure will increase the capacity of women journalists in Baidoa town. “ Seylac said.
Farah Omar Nor and Kiin Fakat who were the trainers encouraged the attendees to act on what they learned from the workshop. During the workshop, the trainers asked the local government for allowing professional journalists to perform their duty safely. Mr. Omar said the journalists need encouragement and not to be intimidated as he told the journalists to show responsibility for the news they air to the audiences.
